Pick up your participant materials this Thursday on May 17th to avoid the check-in crowd on Saturday! Visit either our Eastside or Westside location on to pick up your materials (you can also pick up packets for friends & family). The packet includes bibs for runners and sponsor goodies for all registered attendees!

When you pick up your packet, you will also receive a $5 parking voucher as well as vouchers for any earned prizes (to be retrieved at Steps for Life).

Additionally, you can turn in any offline sponsorships to either of these locations, and we will add them to your online fundraising total or get you registered if you haven’t done so online already. Turning everything in early will save you some time Saturday morning.

If you can’t take advantage of early pick-up, make sure to give yourself time to check in Saturday, especially if you’re turning in those sponsorships. Runners need to be checked in or registered before 9:15am when the race starts. Check-in begins at 8am. Walkers can check in any time before 11am when the walk starts, but we’ll give priority to runners when checking in before 9am.

Steps for Life Day of Agenda, May 19

]]>The Baby She Didn’t Know She Always Wantedhttp://first-image.org/2018/05/11/laurelsstory/
Fri, 11 May 2018 20:53:08 +0000http://first-image.org/?p=18939At First Image and within our Portland Pregnancy Resource Centers we work with women of all walks of life.

Some come to us alone and single feeling like abortion is their only option, others are in domestic violence situations, many feel they have to choose between their baby and their future career, there are those without shelter and are homeless, and some who are married but are still afraid and overwhelmed by the news of their positive test.

No matter what she is facing, we get to offer hope, and share the good news of Christ’s love and compassion for both the woman and her unborn child.

Laurel had always dreamed of becoming a mother, but when life took a turn and she found out she was pregnant, she didn’t know she could do it.

“My husband and I were married about 8 years when he had an affair with my best friend and asked for a divorce. I was shocked and devastated, especially since we were Christians and believed that marriage was forever. As my world quickly crashed around me, I fell into deep depression and became suicidal. The closest people in my life, the ones who were supposed to love me the most, betrayed me.

A month after separation, we decided to try and work on our marriage. I desperately wanted everything to go back to ‘normal’ and was willing to do whatever it took. Soon after, I started feeling strange and thought I might be pregnant. I took a pregnancy test that said I was not pregnant. I was relieved, but my body still felt different. After getting extremely dizzy, I took another pregnancy test. It was positive.

It was difficult to process the reality of what was happening, so we went to a clinic to confirm the pregnancy. I instantly started crying when I heard that I was pregnant.

I had dreamt about having kids for years, but I couldn’t bear the thought of bringing a child into such a miserable household.

I didn’t know what to do, but I knew the baby growing inside me had a heartbeat by five weeks and was very much alive. Abortion wasn’t an option, but I felt hopeless and deeply saddened for the life this child was going to have. I didn’t know how to accept my circumstances, especially at a moment such as this. I didn’t want to be a single parent and didn’t think I could do it on my own. My choices seemed to be living in a miserable marriage or bringing a child into a torn, messy life of divorce and the shame that goes with it.

At that time, I was teaching piano lessons. One of my student’s parents had a relationship with Pregnancy Resource Center and fervently encouraged me to check it out. I was in such a deep depression that it was difficult to pick myself up enough to walk through their doors. I was greeted with friendly people and hope.

I could barely think past my daily life, and I couldn’t comprehend going through labor or how to care for an infant alone.

I signed up for a parenting class and received money to help pay for the bill. The class taught me practical techniques about caring for an infant, but I also saw that there were other women like me, who maybe even needed more help than I did.

I started to feel not so alone.

When I saw the supplies and clothes available for my baby if needed, I thought about the child I always wanted, the life of love and lifelong friendship between a daughter and mother. I was paired with a mentor who supported and encouraged me with friendship and prayer. I was empowered to create a positive life for my child.

My husband and I eventually divorced, and fortunately God brought a new man into my life who has loved my daughter, since the day she was born. We now have two beautiful daughters, Keira and Leilanna whom I love very much. Parenthood is not easy, but I am grateful for God’s strength and grace to carry us through.

It has now been 8 years since this happened. I am so thankful that God scooped me up and held me close to Him during that time and drew me to PRC. This tough experience made me a much stronger Christian and showed me how to be the best possible parent to both of my daughters.”

]]>How Strong Momma’s Integrates Giving Into The Everydayhttp://first-image.org/2018/04/27/strongmommas/
Fri, 27 Apr 2018 18:38:00 +0000http://first-image.org/?p=18889We had the privilege to interview Megan, the business owner of Strong Momma’s, and partner of First Image. Through an incredibly generous and innovative business model, she has integrated support of mothers and the children they carry right into the center of her work. We are deeply grateful to have her support and are excited that Strong Momma’s is a Steps for Life sponsor this year!

How did you get connected to First Image/PRC?

Several years ago, a representative of First Image/PRC visited our church. She was available to answer questions and explain more about the vision and ministry of PRC. I had recently given birth to my second son, and the stories and difficulties of the mothers that PRC served obviously resonated with me. I wanted to help somehow.

What is it specifically about the work and mission of our ministry that drew you into becoming a partner and supporter?

I wholeheartedly believe in the individual value of every human being. Every person is created in the image of God, uniquely and creatively designed specifically by Him, and given a purpose and plan for this world. I know that motherhood is extremely challenging, and I know that circumstances can be out of our control and beyond difficult. But God is the master at stepping into the misery and into the lives of women shoved to the margins to offer hope and life in an otherwise impossible situation. God is using First Image/PRC to step into these impossible situations, saving the lives of babies, and providing answers, hope and His love to families that are desperate for it

We’d love to hear about your business, what you do, and who you serve. Could you tell us more?

I am a personal trainer and nutrition coach that works almost exclusively with women that are looking for a counter-cultural way of doing fitness. My company is called Strong Mommas, and it teaches moms how to eat healthy, how to be strong (not just skinny!), and how to do all of this with a heavenly perspective. As women, we’re inundated with expectations to look a certain way, perform a certain way, and do it all effortlessly. Because of these expectations, so many are clamoring after diets and workout programs that lead to even more discouragement and bondage. I teach a practical way to eat healthy that leads to a complete lifestyle change, not just a short-term diet. I also teach workouts that reveal the beauty of strength and the value of muscles. And I make sure that all of it is sprinkled with grace, never-ending encouragement, and a pursuit of contentment in the unique bodies that God gave us.

How have you integrated giving into the way your business works?

The primary service I offer is an online membership program, the Strong Mommas Membership. Women subscribe to this ongoing program, that provides her with all the tools she needs for monthly workouts, help with her nutrition, and ongoing support through a larger community of women. Half of her membership fees every month are donated to First Image/PRC and other local ministries.

Partnering with First Image by allowing a major part of my business to support the work and mission of the organization has taught me to trust God more deeply. Every day I must purposely submit to His plans for me and my business and allow Him to direct my paths. My faithfulness to this cause has softened my heart and even opened doors I never thought possible. God can dramatically use something that seems so insignificant and unimportant as a fitness and nutrition program for moms to have a major impact on the lives of other moms, families, and even unborn babies.

Each time they do a fake review campaign, they try to make the reviews sound more genuine, but they are using talking points directly from the Expose Fake Clinics website. Unfortunately, we do not have any ability to remove fake reviews ourselves, but with enough people reporting them, it is more likely that Google will take action to remove them.

Your action will make a difference! Last October when the Fake Reviews campaign started, enough people reported these fake reviews and Google removed them since they represent conflicts of interest, are deceptive, biased, and misrepresent who are and what we do.

ExposeFakeClinics.com is an explicit campaign that aims to smear the reputation of Pregnancy Resource Centers across the nation by giving false information and negative reviews on our PRC business pages on Google. Since many women who are facing unplanned pregnancy go online looking for help, this can hurt us in search results and damage our reputation.

These steps will take you a little bit of time, but, undoubtedly, people who are a part of this campaign are putting a great deal of energy into their effort, too.

2.If you have been a client, please leave a positive review, or encourage someone you know who has benefited from our services.

3.Spread the word! Post about it on Social Media and use the hashtag #ExposeFakeClinics.

Thank you so much for helping us to Expose Fake Reviews! As you know, this is not the first time that concerted efforts have been made to destroy the work we’re doing, and it certainly won’t be the last. May the Lord sustain us as we work to graciously demonstrate the compassionate work we do for our neighbors.

]]>The Biblical View of Justicehttp://first-image.org/2018/03/22/the-biblical-view-of-justice/
Thu, 22 Mar 2018 00:58:42 +0000http://first-image.org/?p=18834We highly recommend this video about the biblical theme of Justice. Check it out, as it relates to our mission in serving those who are vulnerable, misled and voiceless. The Bible Project is a Christian organization whose mission is to show how the Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus.
]]>The Story of Heidi, Blayne, and Joshhttp://first-image.org/2018/03/21/the-story-of-heidi-blayne-and-josh/
Wed, 21 Mar 2018 23:14:20 +0000http://first-image.org/?p=18829Watch this compelling video from Alliance Defending Freedom about #GiveFreeSpeech and the SCOTUS vs. Pregnancy Resource Centers case.
]]>Get The Facts: Why PRCs Existhttp://first-image.org/2018/03/21/get-the-facts-why-prcs-exist/
Wed, 21 Mar 2018 23:06:48 +0000http://first-image.org/?p=18825Our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom recently released this video to help educate and bring awareness concerning the important U.S. Supreme Court case that was heard on March 20, 2018 concerning the freedoms of Pregnancy Resource Centers in CA and all across the nation.

]]>Update: SCOTUS, Pregnancy Resource Centers and Prayerhttp://first-image.org/2018/03/21/scotus-pregnancy-resource-centers-and-prayer/
Wed, 21 Mar 2018 22:38:37 +0000http://first-image.org/?p=18813Thank you for praying for yesterday’s SCOTUS hearing on the case that will impact PRCs.Please continue to pray for the judges as they deliberate and decide on the case over the coming weeks and months.

Here are a few resources regarding yesterday’s hearing:

1. Update from Michael Farris, who presented on behalf of the CA Prolife Pregnancy Centers at SCOTUS (from his Facebook page).

It went very well in the Supreme Court. The justices were concerned about the clear pattern of discrimination that forced only prolife centers to give the pro abortion message. They were also concerned about the severe restrictions on advertising imposed on prolife centers. It looks very hopeful. I deeply appreciate all of the prayers. It was a wonderful experience and I am so grateful for all of the support and kindness. Even more, I appreciate all of the prolife counselors who bring love and help to women in need so that babies and women alike can be served well.

2. Summary of some of the judges’ challenges of both sides found here.

May God have mercy on women, their pre-born children, and their fathers. May God grant that this law be overturned so they can receive the compassionate truth and support for their pregnancy decisions.

*To view previous posts in regards to this issue, please visit our blog here and here. We will continue to keep you informed as we receive updates.

]]>Steps for Life Video – 2018http://first-image.org/2018/03/21/sflvideo2018/
Wed, 21 Mar 2018 18:30:33 +0000http://first-image.org/?p=18803We’re so excited to gather together on May 19, 2018 to show our support for the least of these and to love our neighbors impacted by abortion and sexual brokenness. We invite you to join us! To register, or to receive more info about this family-friendly day, visit our Steps for Life page.

To download and play the video offline, click the “Vimeo” icon in the bottom righthand corner of the video. You’ll be redirected to the source page; click the “Download” button.